Council delays vote on SMART Terminal for another 2 weeks
The San Marcos City Council’s vote on the SMART (San Marcos Air, Rail and Truck) Terminal has been postponed until March 19, according to city staff.
At council’s last meeting, City Manager Bert Lumbreras said that council would be considering a formal Chapter 380 economic development agreement with SMART Terminal developers, along with the annexation and rezoning of the land for the terminal, at its March 5 meeting. However, according to director of communications for the city Kristy Stark, the item was pulled from the March 5 agenda at Katerra’s request. Katerra is a manufacturing firm that is slated to be the first tenant of the industrial rail park. The city approved an economic development agreement with Katerra in October 2018.
At its Feb. 19 meeting, council had met in executive session to discuss a Chapter 380 agreement with the SMART Terminal but did not take action on it. Members of a citizens’ group called SMARTER San Marcos, which opposes the development, spoke to the council and voiced their concerns about the potential environmental effects of the rail terminal, especially on the San Marcos River, which is less than 1,300 feet from the edge of the proposed development.
Karen Ford, whose firm Water PR handles public relations for SMARTER San Marcos, said the group had not heard from the city about why the council’s vote is delayed.
“We haven’t had any direct contact from the city on why the vote on the SMART Terminal is delayed, but we certainly hope that it’s at least in part to the concerns and questions raised by SMARTER San Marcos,” Ford said. “And perhaps several council members are remembering where they were in 2011-2012 regarding Sessoms Creek. That’s where we are now — fighting for the health of the river.”
The city has provided an FAQ about the SMART Terminal project. Among the issues addressed in the document are the development standards that the SMART Terminal would be held to if annexed into the city limits, the allowed and prohibited uses of the land, potential roadway improvements, the potential for billions of dollars of investment and drainage. The FAQ can be found at the city’s website.
